Calculating device.



N. R. LONG oALoULATING DEVICE.

l Arruouron rum JULY s, 19o. 979,678, Y

Patented B00211910.

ROM) TOTAL TA X IK- |0051." H002 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NIM B. LONG, 0F, TROY, MISSOURI.

cALoULAriNe DEVICE.

Specication ot Letters Patent.

-.application inea huye, 1909. serial un. 505,679.'

Toall whom t may concern:

Befit known that I, NIM R. LONG, a citizen of the Unitedl States, resi-ding at Troy, 4Missouri, have invented a certain new and' useful Improvement in Calculating Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and. exact description, such as will enable others skilledf'in'the art to whichit appertains to makeanduse the same.

This invention relates to calculating devices, 4and lparticularly to that' type which comprise a long flexible strip that is adapted tobe Woundl from one roller onto another ,roller so as to bring characters or numbers -on said strip adjacent to a cooperating scalel or indicator.

The main object of my present invention is to provid`e a calculating device of-simple 'construction 'that can be manufactured. at a low cost and which will not be apt to get out of order.

, Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an interest calculating device constructed in accordance with my invention; F ig. 2 is a vertica-l sectional view taken on approximately 'the line 2*,-2 of Fig, l; Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the device with the front door of the casing removed and the upper rollerin section so as to more clearly illustrate the construction of the device; and Fig. 4 is a front elevationalY View of a. tax -calculator 'constructed in accordance` With my invention.

While l have herein illustrated my invention embodied in devices for calculating interest and taxes I do not wish it to be v understood that my broad idea is limited to calculating devices of this character for the characters or numbers on the flexible strip and on the cooperating scale or indicator could be modified in various Ways so as to enable the device to behused for calculating numerous other things.

i Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings which illust-rates an interest calculating` device constructed in accordance with my invention, A designates a easing or cabinetinside of which an up )er roller 1 and a lower roller 2 nre arrange and B designates a long flexible strip or sheet Whose oppositie ends are connected to said rollers. This' strip B is provided with a plurality of vertical columns of numbers which designate different amount-s of money, and the front Wall or." door 3 of the casing is provided with an opening, that exposes said numbers to View.

- column on the strip.

I prefer to provide the front Wall 3 with a lon narrow horizontal slot 4 that is just Wi e enough to permit one number of each of the second, third, fourth and` fifth columns on the strip to be seen, and a vertical slot 4 is formed in said front Wall at the left-hand end of the slot 4 so as to expose several of the numbers of the first left h and A scale or indicator 5 is arranged adjacent the left-hand side of the vertical slot '4a on the outside' face of the front Wall of the cabinet so that it can be seen easily by the operator, and in an interest calculator as shown 1n Fig. 1.said scale will consist of a vert-ical column of figures with a sign placed at one side of each figure. Headings 6, 7, 8 and 9, which designate periods of time, are arranged above the horizontal slot 4 on the front wall of the -cabinet in alinement with the second, third, fourth and.

fifth columns, respectively, on the strip B,

.the heading 6 for the second column being one year, for example, and the headings 7 8 and 9 for thethird, fourth and fifth columns being eleven, ten, and nine months, respectively. The numbers in t-he first column on the strip are separated from each other a greater distance than the numbers in the other dcolumns on said strip, as shown in lFig. 3, so that each number in the first column can be arranged in horizontal alinement with each character on the scale 5 without bringing one of the other numbers in said first column in horizontal alinement with the characters on the scale. For example, if it is desired to com ute the interest on $100 at six er'cent. tie strip B' will be moved until t e number 100 is arranged in horizontal alinement with the character 6% on the scale 5. The operator can then run his eye across the horizontal slot 4 in the fron-t Wall of the casing and the numbers on the strip B which are exposed'in said slot Will indicate the interest on $100 at 0% for one year, for eleven months, for ten`A months, and for nine months. If it ,is desired to'compute the interest on $100 at tive per cent. the strip B Will' be moved until the number 100 is in horizontal alinement with the character 5% on the scale 5, the numbers on the strip which then appear in the horizontal slot 4 indicating the interest on $100 at.' 5% for the various periods referred to in the headings above'the slot 4. In .computing compound interest,

Patented 1380.27, 1910.

`strip B -pixvided with a plurality of sepafor example, the interest onn$100 at sixper y cent. for one year and nine nonths, the operator first determines the interest on $100 for one 'year which is $6.00 and then moves the strip B until the number 10S is in horizontal alinement` with the character 6% on the scale 5. He then glances at the exposed number in the ninemonth column and sees that it is 4.77 which he adds to the number 6.00, thus obtaining 10.77 which indicates the compound interest on $100 for one year and nine months at 6%. While I have herein shown a device that ,is only ar ranged for computing interest at 3, 4, 5 and 6% for one year, eleven months, ten months and nine months, it will, ofcourse, be obvious that the strip and scale could be urovided with more numbers or fewer numbers without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I prefer to securel the upper and lower' rollers 1 and 2 to shafts which are journaled -in the side walls 'of the casing A -and pro-v` vide one of said shafts, preferably the shaft of the lower roller, with' a. handle or knob 10 by which it can be turned.I In view of' the fact that the opposite. ends of the Strip B are connected to 'said rollers the strip Will be wound from the upper roller onto the lower roller when the handle `1() turned clockwise, and the reverse movement of the strip is effected by means ot a baud 11 which is connected to the rollers in such a` manner that the strip will be wound from the lower roller onto the upper roller When the handle 10 is turned anti-clockwise. The strip B preferably passes between the rear side of the front wall of the casing and a guide member 19. which is fastened to lugs 13 on the side walls of the easing, and a gravity roller 14 is provided for taking up the slack in the band 11 so as to keep the strip B'taut, said roller v14 being carried by an arm 15 that is pivotally connect-.ed atits lower end to a bracket 10 inside of the cas-l ing) lVhile I have herein shown a single rate columns, it will, of course, be obvious that. the same results ,could be obtained by using: a plurality of separate strips arranged side by side and each having a single column. Therefore, l Wish it to be understood that the term stri-p herein used refers either to a single sheet or strip provided with separate columns or a plurality of narL row strips provided With 'individual `columns.

The main advantage of a computing' de-K vice of this construction is that it com-'1 prises very few parts so that it. can be manufactured cheaply and is not liable to get. out of order.

Another advantage. is its simplicity'ot operation as any one with ordinary intelli- .Q4 in. the front wall of the casing.

gence can quickly compute compound interest or simple interest by merely rondini:T the handle 10 until the amount on which the interest is to be determined comes into hori- 'Azontal alinement with the character on the scale 5 that designates the rate ot' interest.

In Fig. 4 l have shown a tax calculator or computing device constructed in accord-` ance with my invention.' In this device the numbers in the first left. hand column on the strip designate the valuations of property, those in the secondcolumn the State tax figured at a certain rate, those in the third column the county tax figured ai :1 differentrate, those in the fourth column the road tax figured at a different rate, and those inthe fifth column the total tax. flu calculating the taxes on property valued at $100 for example, the operator-turns the yhandle Z0 until the number 100 lies jixst above the lower edge of the horizontal slot lle then glances along the slot and the number )u the strip that are exposed to view will iudicate the State, county, and road taxe in, said property and also the total tax for property. lt will, of course, be obvious't the device could be arranged for calcular. y various other taxes so that I do not'wisl to be understood that my broad idea lin ited to the exact construction herein shown.``

Having thus'l described my invention,

Letters Patent is:

An interest-computing device`v comprising a casing provided with a vertical opening and a horizontal opening in one Wall there of, a scale arranged atone side of said ver tical opening and consisting oi' a vertical column of figures with signs placed at one side of the same, 'aflexible member' arranged inside of'said casing and provided with a plurality of vertical columns ot numbers thatcan be seen through the herijzontal opening in said casing'pthe ninnbcrs in each column being spaced apart the same distance as the figures of said scale, an independentvertica-l column of numbers on said flexible member arranged in alineiucnt wlth the verticalopenmg in said casing and spaced apart ,from each other a distance equal'4 to the length of said scale. and meansl focmoving said flexible member so as lo' "signature in the presence of two witnesses,

this 520th day of .Tune 1909.

Nlh'l ll.. LONG.

Witnesses Pon'rnn .lon us, JAMns V. Mortar. 

